1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective apparel for protecting the head and cervical spine.
2. Description of Related Art
Serious, often devastating neurologic injuries result from head trauma and cervical spine trauma. Traditional helmets offer some degree of protection against head injury and the potential for brain injury, but offer no protection against cervical spine injury, and the potential for cervical spinal cord injury. Cervical spine injury is usually the result of one of several distinct circumstances. First abrupt forceful axial loading is one common cause of cervical spine injury; an example of this would be the typical shallow water diving accident. Another common cause of cervical spine injury is excessive flexion or extension of the neck; an example of the latter would be the extreme extension associated with a severe whiplash. A third common cause of cervical spine injury is excessive cervical rotation. Such a circumstance is encountered for example, when a football player's face mask is grabbed by an opposing player.
The above may cause cervical spine compression fractures, fracture dislocations, facet joint dislocations, and/or cervical disc herniations. These frequently result in cervical spinal chord injury with some degree of attendant quadraparesis or quadriplegia. Protective apparel attempting to provide some degree of cervical spine protection have been proposed in the prior art; however, none have achieved a level of functionality that would allow their widespread acceptance.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 354,375, issued to Robert R. Lechner on Jan. 10, 1995, shows a cervically non-involved facial-cranial protective helmet. The lower rim of the helmet of Lechner is cut away at the back of the head to provide clearance for tilting the head back without interference from the helmet. The helmet of Lechner provides no cervical spine protection.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 355,731, issued to Fabien Gingras on Feb. 21, 1995, shows a safety helmet with facial protection. The helmet of Gingras provides no cervical spine protection.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 361,867, issued to Fujio Taniuchi on Aug. 29, 1995, shows a safety helmet with a pivotable facial protection shield. The helmet of Taniuchi provides no cervical spine protection.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,822, issued to John H. Sawyer on Dec. 16, 1975, shows a safety harness for securely holding a helmet on the head of a person. The safety harness of Sawyer provides no protection against abrupt, forceful axial loading of the cervical spine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,510, issued to Robert P. Hubbard on Jan. 27, 1987, shows a neck protection device having a yoke and a high collar which surrounds a helmet. Straps extend between the rim of the collar and the helmet to limit flexion and extension of the cervical spine. The neck protection device of Hubbard severely restricts the turning of the head from side to side while providing no protection in case of abrupt, forceful axial loading of the cervical spine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,476, issued to Donald L. Andrews on May 2, 1989, shows an articulated head, neck, and shoulder protection device. The protection device of Andrews includes an annular cradle which is rotatably mounted to a shoulder protector. The annular cradle has two vertical projections that rotatably support a helmet. The vertical projections fit into depressions on either side of the helmet. The depressions define the limits of the rotation of the helmet and thus the limits of the flexion and extension of the neck. So far as can be determined, the Andrews device makes no provision for preventing the excessive torsion of the cervical spine. Further, Andrews does not show the flexion and extension limiting structure of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,562, issued to Gus A. Rush, III on Feb. 22, 1994, shows an athletic helmet with an inflatable bag at its lower rim. The bag inflates upon axial impact to protect the cervical spine in case of abrupt, forceful axial loading. The Rush device does not protect the cervical spine against excessive flexion, extension, or torsion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,870, issued to David Pinsen on Aug. 29, 1995, shows a football helmet having neck protection. The neck protection includes an inner and an outer guide in the shape of sphere portions. A movable inner element has upwardly extending members which connect to a helmet. The Pinsen device does not use the same type of structure for movably joining the helmet to the shoulder pad as is used in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,736, issued to Norman E. Allison on Feb. 27, 1996, shows an athletic helmet having a rigid collar projecting from the helmet and extending around the helmet's base. The collar is positioned some distance above two uprights extending from the shoulder pads. The Allison device does not protect the neck from excessive flexion or torsion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,699, issued to George E. Abraham, II on May 21, 1996, shows a helmet accessory for protecting a wearer from cervical spine injuries. The accessory forms a cage around the helmet which either limits movements of the head or distributes impacts to the shoulder pads rather than allowing the impacts to be imparted to the helmet. The Abraham device does not use the same type of structure for movably joining the helmet to the shoulder pad as is used in the present invention.
U.K. Patent Document Number 1 348 239, by Ayub Khan Ommaya et al. published on Mar. 13, 1974, shows a device for reducing movement of the head and neck. The device includes an inflatable cervical collar. The Ommaya et al. device does not have sufficient rigidity to adequately prevent excessive flexion, extension, compression, or torsion of the neck. Further, the Ommaya et al. device does not use the same type of structure for movably joining the helmet to the shoulder pad as is used in the present invention.
U.K. Patent Document Number 1,098,374, by The Minister of Technology published on Jan. 10, 1968, shows a pressure helmet with a pressure seal around the neck. The helmet of U.K. Document '374 does not provide protection for the neck from excessive flexion, extension, compression, or torsion.
U.K. Patent Document Number 1 519 771, by Peter William Bothwell published on Aug. 2, 1978, shows a head and upper torso protector having a rigid shell and inflatable bags on the outside of the shell. The Bothwell device does not use the same type of structure for movably joining the helmet to the shoulder pad as is used in the present invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.